At least 11 people have died, with dozens more missing, after the partial collapse of a highway bridge in north-western China following heavy storms and flooding, authorities have said.

       The official Xinhua News Agency said five vehicles which fell off the bridge have been recovered after the structure in Shaanxi province crumbled at around 8.40 pm yesterday.

       A photograph released by Xinhua showed a section of the bridge snapped and folded down at almost a 90-degree angle into the rushing brown water below.

       It said rescue operations were still underway today in the province's Zhashui county, with some 20 cars and 30 people still missing.

       As its economy boomed over recent decades, China built a huge network of highways, high-speed railways, and airports, most of which have helped fuel further growth.

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       However, a dramatic decline in that economic expansion has led to a steady stream of deadly industrial accidents.

       China's western and southwestern provinces are particularly prone to flooding and landslides due to their mountainous landscapes and the powerful rivers that run through them.

       Mining, tourism and rising urbanisation have also disturbed a precarious balance with the natural environment that had been sustained over thousands of years.

       Shaanxi is best known as one of the fulcrums of Chinese civilisation, from which emerged the first emperor, Qinshi Huangdi, who left the famed terracotta army as his legacy outside the capital Xi'an in vast tomb complex which attracts huge numbers of visitors each year.

       Gansu, which borders Shaanxi, and Henan in central China was similarly hit by heavy rains this week.

       The Henan city of Nanyang was lashed with the equivalent of a year’s worth of rain fell at the beginning of this week, according to Chinese state broadcaster CCTV.

       China is facing a summer of extreme weather, with heavy rains across the east and south on their way, while much of the north has been hit by successive heat waves.

       Climate change has resulted in extreme weather being more frequent in the country.

       A highway in southern China collapsed in May after days of rain, resulting in 48 deaths.

       Earlier this month, one person died and 79 more were injured by a tornado in eastern China.